The Great Gooseberry Gobble

Here's a recipe or two... (or actually seven)

Oh golly, these little guys. Someone called them ‘sour balls’ the other day. I thought they meant the shape but, looking at their veined bodies, I do have to wonder. Every year there’s a fierce debate in the market about if / when they’re early or late, and the memory on my iPhone tells me they’re always just about on time in mid-June. Hard and punchy at first, and slowly softening up and becoming sweeter in July.

Gooseberry picture above taken for the Goods Shed, Canterbury

As soon as I see them on the market stall, I plunge a hand into the crate (very satisfying) and chuck them into a brown paper bag (also very satisfying) before I have even had time to think about what I am going to make. This year so far it’s been: a gooseberrymisu; a smoked eel and honeyed-gooseberry roulade rolled in fresh fennel fronds; and a mackerel, mint and gooseberry ceviche.

Gooseberrymisu

For the gooseberrymisu, I cooked the gooseberries in elderflower cordial and stirred them through lemon curd before adding them between layers of mascarpone and cream and savoiardi biscuits soaked in neat gin, with plenty of lovely lemon-flavoured grated dark chocolate on top.

The roulade was a continuation on a theme from travelling this year in China and Japan and wanting to marry the things I ate there with the things I love here. There’s already been a whole Kentish rabbit cooked in Japanese sake, and Rye scallops served in Matcha sauce with elderflower and cute little dried shrimps.

We ate a lot of eel in Japan and one of the tastiest dishes we had was honey glazed and slightly burnt, served with rice, pickles and miso soup.

Smoked Eel, Honeyed Gooseberry & Fennel Roulade

When I saw that Shane at the fishmonger’s had cold, smoked eel, I took some home and crumbled it into a bowl with gooseberries that had been cooked in a little honey from Honeybee Mountain in China (more on this in a future post) and stirred it all into plenty of cream cheese, and pepper. I rolled it in fennel fronds and spent the next couple of days eating it on crackers, as well as in a killer sandwich with little gem lettuce, sour Japanese pickles and plenty of butter.

Mackerel Ceviche with Gooseberries & Mint

I’m a sucker for ceviche (a whole post to come on this at some point, including a legendary monkfish with strawberries and tarragon) and like to get really creative with the combinations. As I was leaving the market with a handful of really gorgeous mint, Shane hollered that I had better come see how good the mackerel was, and then Tony reminded me of the great gooseberries, and the very next day I was sharing a bowl full of this splendour at the kitchen table overlooking the village green, with a side of chicken broth and samphire, and some day-old bread and butter.

Sardine Ceviche with Gooseberries & Red Pepper

Looking through the archives, it would appear that last year I tried my hand at a sardine and gooseberry ceviche with blackened Romano peppers, spring onion and basil. I had wondered at the time if sardine ceviche were even a thing and it turns out that its scarcity on menus is probably because sardines spoil so quickly, so if you’re lucky enough to have a fresh fishmongers with local fish near you, do shop with them because a) seriously fresh fish and b) let’s keep those beautiful people in business.

While I will come back to ceviche in more detail in another post, my basic recipe is to douse really fresh, raw fish in plenty of squeezed lemon and / or lime juice and then add whatever else I fancy in terms of herbs, fruit, vegetables, and even alcohol. I usually throw in some sugar to balance the acidity, too. The main thing is to make sure that the fish is evenly covered with the citrus so it can be cured well. And to share ceviche with grateful people, not like this guy who ran off into the inky night after dinner (though I think he really enjoyed the ceviche and I hope it haunts him for not doing the washing up).

A more official recipe here for this one, which is a real delight as the season heats up, the barbecue gets fired, and the gooseberries get sweeter. And it’s excellent hot, warm, or served cold.

Blackened Aubergine, Gooseberries & Ajo Blanco

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Ingredients

3 aubergines

125g blanched almonds soaked in water overnight

Punnet of gooseberries - some left whole, some sliced in half

A handful of coarsely chopped fresh dill

1 garlic clove

2 tsps of dukkah

A handful of pistachios

20ml red wine vinegar

125ml water

50ml extra virgin olive oil

Method

Leave almonds to soak in cold water overnight.

The next day, drain away the water, reserving 125ml and returning to the bowl.

Add 25ml red wine vinegar, 50ml extra virgin olive oil and one garlic clove and blend until smooth and thick.

Taste and add more garlic if you wish, and season before setting aside.

Slice aubergine lengthways into flat pieces (approx 4 per aubergine) and brush with oil either side.

Grill the aubergine pieces on the bbq until blackened and soft on both sides.

Roughly crush the pistachios with the dukkah. (The pistachios are extra nice if you’ve given them a little roast or toast - you could do this on the bbq in a small baking tray)

Layer aubergine on a plate with gooseberries, sauce and the crushed pistachios and dukkah mix.

Liberally sprinkle with chopped dill and season well.

Top Tip: If your gooseberries are a little sharp, this dish also works really well with a good drizzle of local Kentish honey.

Gazpacho with Gooseberry Salsa

You can follow a basic recipe from here for gazpacho and then add ripe gooseberries, avocado, basil and dill on top to make it extra flavourful. This is the kind of recipe that benefits from a little slumber part overnight in the fridge for the flavours to develop and to get really bloody cold.

Cherry Gooseberry Cheesecake with Blackberry Vodka Jelly

Sally’s Baking Addiction is a bit of a destination when looking for a good, basic recipe to follow and embellish in your own way. Her ‘No Bake Cheesecake’ is really simple (though scroll past all the buzz to get to the actual recipe at the bottom) so I used it here to then add my own topping by cooking gooseberries and cherries together before adding some homemade blackberry jasmine vodka I found in the back of the pantry and 3 gelatine sheets to thicken everything up nicely. Cherries and gooseberries go really well together in desserts - I have used them for tart fillings and curd for meringue pies too, like this one.

Sticky Chilli Gooseberry Pork Ribs

To wrap up this great gooseberry gospel, I leave you with my latest gooseberry affair… pork ribs baked with chilli gooseberry glaze - made from a seriously good couple of squirts of chilli sauce and a handful of gooseberries. Cook your ribs for an hour on 150-degrees, smother in the glaze, and cook for another 45 minutes or so. Eat standing up in the kitchen in your pants gazing out upon the magnolia tree, wondering, what shall I eat tomorrow?

Thanks for reading. Each picture is linked to my instagram account if you’d like to follow foodie escapades in real-time and I’d love to hear about your relationship with these sour balls, if you’d oblige me with a comment, or even a share?